SCIENCE

Why This Blurry Optical Illusion Disappears If You Stare at It

The Troxler effect will mess with your head.

11 Scientific Benefits of Having a Laugh

Laughter might not always be the best medicine, but humor-associated laughter does have numerous health benefits.

An 88,000-Year-Old Middle Finger May Change What We Know About Human Migration

Humans may have left Africa sooner than we thought.

A New NASA Map Shows Spring Is Coming Earlier Each Year

Warm temperatures mean that national parks are seeing plants emerge from winter earlier.

Overcome Your Fear of Embarrassment by Imagining People Reacting to Your Fart

Visualizing yourself as the audience to your own mortifying situation could help you get over it.

Scientists May Have Finally Figured Out Why We Have Eyebrows

A new study suggests their evolution helped us develop our social skills.

Every Conversation That Happened During the First Moon Landing, Visualized

Yes, they talked about sandwiches.

Students Build a Machine to Study the Weak Ankles of Michelangelo’s 'David'

It's hard to stand in one place for more than 500 years.

Why Are There No More Dinosaurs?

Scientists think a terrible event killed most of the dinosaurs off. But some remain—and they fly.

Why Do Sour Things Make Me Pucker?

It could be your body's way of saying "watch out!" Here is the reason why sour things make you pucker.

An Astronomer Solves a 70-Year-Old Ansel Adams Mystery

Donald Olson solves mysteries using celestial bodies.

Why Are Feet So Stinky?

It’s not actually your feet that stink. It's actually the bacteria that lives on your feet that smells.

Why Does My Heart Beat Faster Sometimes?

Your movements and your feelings can give your heart a little workout. Here is why your heart beats faster sometimes.

Why Does My Stomach Rumble When I’m Hungry?

A gurgling, rumbling stomach doesn’t always mean that you’re hungry. It just means your digestive system is trying to do its job.

Why Are the Days Longer in Summer?

Did you know that when it’s summer in North America it is winter in some other continents, like South America and Australia?

The Chemistry Behind the Smell of Rain

It's called petrichor, and a surprising amount of research has been done into the origins of the scent since it was first identified more than five decades ago.

Why Are There Shooting Stars?

Have you ever seen a flash of bright light streaking through the night sky? People around the world have different ways of explaining these so-called shooting stars.